Remake of the 60's short series on AMC this week. I think there are 3 parts to this miniseries that started tonight and continues Mon and Tues, 2 hrs each. They'll rebroadcast tonight's ep before tomorrow's.
It's interesting so far, they've made it nicely convoluted to get you into the character's perspective in a mysterious situation. I just hope they can untie it all well. It's got a good core cast though, with James Caviezel as the main character and Ian McKellen as the antagonist.
Anyone else watching this?

http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/

I was a fan of the original with Patrick McGoohan. How does this one size up in your opinion?

I know what the show was and what it was about but I never saw it. The big white ball things are still there. LOL
Surely it will be somewhat different to keep it fresh, but I don't know. As far as I can tell it's going the same direction with the same reasoning behind it all.

Watched it for about 20mn last night and that show made so thirsty watching that desert I had to get
a beer, and then another. Time to change channels.

I vaguely remember watching the old show. The new show if you don`t catch the beginning is tough to
follow if you miss it like I did.

Rover..

I was afraid of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAyOg6HvCb8

Judging from the attached comments - not many fans of the original are enamored.

Perhaps an unbiased mind might find it more engaging.

I like James Caviezel and Ian McKellen but this got way beyond bizarre in a hurry. I watched the second part last and it felt like I had missed a whole episode somewhere although I didn't. I forced myself to watch the second two hours last night but I just about went nuts. Plus they keep showing this commercial with some girl and a phone that annoys the snot out of me. Both of these things makes me feel like I'm loosing my mind. Oh well, I'll probably finish it tonight just so that I can have some closure. I sure hope something sane ends up coming out of this.

I'm with ya. I watched the first hour and 15 minutes last night and just decided to shut it down. They lost it this time. They're trying so hard to be vague and mysterious that they went straight into incoherent and annoying.

Close call.. I'm glad I was too busy this week to bother..

Another unfortunate example of remake-mania. You have to wonder why there's so much of it in today's entertainment industry.. is it perhaps in decline?

To be fair, the original could have it's moments too, though McGoohan's portrayal of No 6 usually could save the day.

Well at least for me no sanity came out of it what soever. What a nutty six hours of tv watching that was. Perhaps fans of the original and therefore with a better understanding of the background took something from it but as a viewer who was initially interested and excited about it I found it to be painful to watch. I forced myself hoping something sensicle would come from it but no. I still don't understand what it was all about. It seemed like every thought and scene was detached and had not context to go on. It seemed like they just filmed, directed, and said any and everything that went through their heads. It also had a weird choice of music throughout adding to the madness that I eventually succumbed to.

I think I need to go watch The Fugitive or Top Gun or something with a coherent story and conclusion so that I can return my brain to the realm of sanity.

I gave in and watched the last one last night. Curiosity got the better of me.
The Matrix Reloaded kept popping into mind for the ridiculous doubletalk and forced plot progression without any reasonable thought. Oh well, good sci fi is hard to find.

If you are interested you can watch all the episodes of the original version here. I have been enjoying some of them over lunch hour at work.

http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner-1960s-series/

I watched the first hour...but after reading these comments I'm gonna quit. I am sick of convoluted story telling that does so to appear like it's really a complex and deep story. Bleech!

amazon has the original series on blu ray or dvd on sale, today only. 41 bucks blu ray 29 bucks dvd


The Prisoner: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] (1968)
Patrick McGoohan
List Price: $99.95
Our Price: $40.99
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In Stock
The Prisoner: The Complete Series Megaset (Collector's Edition)
Patrick McGoohan
List Price: $69.95
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AMC's remake was awful. I'm sure that they had to wait for McGoohan to die before doing this, because he'd never have approved of it.

Miao, Cat

Twenty years from now this new series will be looked upon as a masterpeice, just like the original 1960's series....maybe. Although I shudder to think how bad TV would have to get to make that happen.

Never give your series to an editor with ADD. The experience was akin to reading a book in random order. It may have been Dickens with it's progressive social commentary on surveillance societies and how free societies are just an illusion but it was bloody hard to follow. Pretty much like the original in it's day.

Personally I think McGoohan would have approved, he was a PITA too.

A re-edit would work wonders. The performances were fine, the ideas still relevant today, even more so. Mr McGoohan said The Prisoner was a warning about the police state and how far it could go left unchecked. Today people are fitted with cameras, in the UK we have an obnoxious number of cameras in public places, there's one on the high-street here with a great view over your shoulder at the ATM (that's run by a private firm).

This new series was a logical re-take on that with an increasing number of private companies doing the monitoring, behavioural research and even control through the practice of pumping baby powder and other kinds of smells into the air. This is done to shape behavior of people in public places and is a subtle form of mind control. The olfactory glands are part of the brain.

Too bad the editing in this show stank IMO.

Thanks for the link. I'll have a gander.. it's been some time.